Sunday, July 26, 2015

These are the salad days. The wrap days. The low-carb dog days of summer where suddenly May's pants don't fit and I am afloat with so much bloat I can be my own life preserver. These times call for a bit of leaning out, post birthday gluttony.

I knew I was doing it: happy hours, pizza, french fries, wine tasting, birthday brunches and day drinking. Who did I think I was? I'm a nimble minx in the gym but a gluttonous ogre in the kitchen.

I started my meal prep this week with an easy favorite - ground turkey wrap. I use these as base for a taco salad, or wrap them up in lettuce leaves topped with avocado and salsa for a Mexican flair. I totally cheated and used Trader Joe's taco seasoning packet this time around. You can totally change the flavor profile though -- go for ginger and teriyaki for a more Asian style wrap, topped with crunch won tons or water chestnuts.

I had some extra kidney beans lying around, (hey, they are a good carb!) so I threw them in.

Ground Turkey Lucky Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground turkey1 green bell pepper, chopped into small pieces1 small red onion, dicedFinely chopped garlic (as much as you like, I usually do 2-3 cloves)1/2 packet of Trader Joe's Taco Seasoning (or any seasoning brand of your choice)1/2 cup of kidney beans (optional - or other beans if you choose)Cilantro to garnish (optional) 1 tbs olive oil

The How-To

In a medium skillet, brown the ground turkey. Drain and set aside.

Heat the pan with olive oil and add the bell pepper, red onions. Saute until onions are soft.

Add the garlic, ground turkey and seasoning according to directions - some call for a few tablespoons of water.

Throw in the kidney beans. Stir together until mixed and garlic has become fragrant.

Transfer to a bowl and serve over a bed of salad or wrapped in lettuce with salsa and avocado etc.

I had my eyes on the thighs the other day. And by that, I mean my own at the gym. Due to a foot injury this month I haven't been able to do as much cardio so I've been hitting the weights a lot lately. Leg day has been in circulation within my program a bit and I'm noticing some nice strength gains. That being said, I need to incorporate some more protein in my day and definitely had to meal prep this week.

There's only so many baked chicken breasts a girl can handle, so I tried something new. I'm not a huge olive fan, but as an accent in a meal, I can take it. The sweetness of the red onion and roasted red peppers make up for their invasion. I whipped this up to make for my lunches, along with some salad for about 4 days this week.

You can always omit the flour/eggs coating and substitute vegan butter/cheese if you wanted to go gluten and dairy free.

Ingredients

4 organic skinless boneless chicken thighs

1 large egg

1/4 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tbs olive

4 tablespoons butter

1 onion, diced

1 12-ounce jar of roasted red peppers, sliced into strips

1 small can of sliced olives

4-5 cloves of garlic chopped

2 tbs of grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

The How-To

In a skillet, heat the butter. Add the onions and sauté until translucent. Add the roasted red peppers and olives, and simmer for about 5 minutes more. Add the chopped garlic, right before you're done so as to not to overcook it. Transfer the veggies to a bowl and set aside.

In a bowl, mix flour and salt. In another bowl, prepare the egg wash. Coat chicken with flour mixture, then dip in the egg wash.

In a nonstick skillet, heat the other 2 tbs of butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken, and cook until golden brown. Reduce heat to medium, turn chicken, top with Parmesan cheese and cook about 10 minutes longer.